The present invention relates to a reversible ratchet wrench which has a engaging ring received in the head of the tool and a pawl located on an outer periphery of the engaging ring and plural teeth of the pawl are engaged with the teeth in the inside of the head.
A conventional reversible ratchet wrench known to applicant is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,568,751 with the title of xe2x80x9creversible ratchet wrench and reversible ratchet mechanism thereofxe2x80x9d to Lee. The patent ""751 discloses a ring member in which a pawl is pivotally engaged with an inner periphery thereof so as to be engaged with the teeth defined in an inner periphery of the head of the tool. An inherent shortcoming of this type of mechanism is that only few teeth are used to engage with the teeth of the head so that when an large torque output is applied, the few teeth cannot afford it and the tool could be damaged.
Another reversible ratchet wrench known to applicant is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,916,339 with a title of xe2x80x9cone-way drive mechanism and corresponding ratchet toolxe2x80x9d to Dumont. Although the pawl of the wrench disclosed in patent ""339 has plural teeth to be engaged with the teeth of the head, the member received in the head is a solid member so that only an engaging rod extends from the member in the head to be engaged with sockets or the like. In other words, the member in the head is not a ring-like member so that the sockets or the objects have to be connected to the engaging rod and this prolongs the length from the head to the object to be rotated.
Yet another reversible ratchet wrench known to applicant is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,044,731 with a title of xe2x80x9cdouble-reversible ratchet wrenchxe2x80x9d to Hsieh. The wrench disclosed in patent ""731 has a recess defined in an inner periphery of the head of the tool so as to receive a pawl therein and the ring member in the head has outer teeth for being engaged with the pawl. This type of wrench has a large head so that there is a space for receiving the pawl. The large head is not convenient for insertion of the head in a narrow space to rotate an object.
In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a reversible ratchet wrench which comprises a ring-shaped head with first teeth defined in an inner periphery of the head and an engaging ring is rotatable received in the head. A surface is defined in an outer periphery of the engaging ring for a pawl to be engaged therewith. A neck extends from a first end of the engaging ring and a flange extends radially outward from a second end of the engaging ring so as to engage a first surface of the head. The pawl has second teeth which are engaged with the first teeth in the head. A control disk is connected to the pawl and rotatably located on a second surface of the head. A fixing ring is engaged with the neck of the engaging ring.
The primary object of the present invention is to provide a reversible ratchet tool that has a ring-shaped head and plural teeth are engaged between the head and the pawl.
The present invention will become more obvious from the following description when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings which show, for purposes of illustration only, a preferred embodiment in accordance with the present invention.